Central Park
grrlscientist | August 10, 2009tags: Test Your Faith Vision, humor, funny, streaming video
This video shows you an actual boat rescue in progress. A speedboat has flipped over in NYC's Central Park Conservatory Water so a nearby fireboat rescues it by flipping it back to its proper position. Of course, since this is a speedboat, the ungrateful thing zips off immediately, and is not seen again. I happen to know the man (Dick Conners) who pilots the fireboat in this video. [0:57]
I have a photoessay in the works about the boathouse where these model boats are housed, since Dick was so kind as to bring me into this space…
grrlscientist | February 17, 2009tags: Central Park Wildlife, New York City, Bob Levy, image of the day
Northern Cardinal Gets His Turn In The Spotlight
Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger view].
The photographer writes;
A shaft of sunlight fortuitously fell on this male Northern Cardinal at just the right moment. I regularly visit a set of cardinal families. I wish I knew which of the Central Park clans this fella was from but I don't. It does not take away from the enjoyment of this image, does it?
grrlscientist | January 6, 2009tags: Central Park, NYC, tufted titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor, image of the day
Central Park Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger view].
The photographer writes;
A few days after capturing the image of a Tufted Titmouse in midair that appeared on this blog on December 30, 2008 I returned to get more shots of these birds. I had not been delighted with the quality of most of my photos partly because the lighting conditions had been poor and mostly because these tiny creatures don't stay still long enough to keep them in the viewfinder for more…
grrlscientist | January 2, 2009tags: Central Park, NYC, house finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, image of the day
Central Park House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger view].
The photographer writes:
I am humbled to be able to present to you exclusive and incontrovertible photographic proof that Central Park House Finches have become involved in the manufacture of Sangria this Holiday Season. These entrepreneurial finches recognized the profit potential in a niche business to which they are, surprising as it may seem to this observer, supremely adept. In this image we find a no…
grrlscientist | December 24, 2008tags: Central Park, NYC, racoon, image of the day
Central Park Racoon.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger view].
The photograher writes:
I am offering this image from my "Almost Too Cute For Words File." Last year my holiday offering was also of a Raccoon. That's not surprising as they are one of my favorite photographic subjects. I am not well acquainted with this particular critter though I have reason to believe that we did meet when he or she was extremely young. I had lost track of a female I knew had a newborn cub when she abandoned her den after a storm deposited broken…
grrlscientist | December 21, 2008tags: Central Park, NYC, juvenile cardinal, image of the day
Central Park Cardinal.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger view].
The photographer writes:
When I pointed my camera at this perky juvenile Northern Cardinal she surprised me with her savvy and sophistication. "If you want any more images", she seemed to intone politely but firmly, "Please call my agent." Well, I guess this is the kind of thing I might have expected from any young and upwardly mobile New York City songbirds even in these tumultuous times, right?
...But seriously folks this little beauty is one of the…
grrlscientist | December 20, 2008tags: Central Park, NYC, house finch, image of the day
Central Park House Finch
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger view].
The photographer writes:
I found this male House Finch and a female (maybe it was a juvenile?) gobbling up Hawthorn berries in Central Park. The fall colors of the tree compete with this bird but I think it's a draw. How about you?
grrlscientist | November 7, 2008tags: turtle pond Central Park, NYC, Turtle Pond Reflection, image of the day
Turtle Pond, Central Park, Reflection.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George, November 2, 2008 [larger view].
The photographer writes:
The reflection of these particular Westside buildings in Turtle Pond is a favorite photographic subject of mine especially in the Fall. It's not just the colors that attract me. The fallen leaves floating on the water give the image an added texture.
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
Mama Shakespeare's Guacamole?
Female Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer writes;
Mama Shakespeare interrupted her meal to pay me a visit in, where else, Central Park's Shakespeare Garden. Look at her closely. No, that isn't guacamole squirting out of her beak. It is of insect origin but I do not know precisely what creature it formerly was. I do know that I have seen this same light shade of green protruding from Northern Cardinal…
grrlscientist | August 28, 2008tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
The results of the Most Explosive Northern Cardinal Molt of 2008 in Central Park are in. Papa Museum wins the competition hands, er, feathers down.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
Note: No cardinals were injured in this competition. Hey, I know he looks like an explosion in a mattress factory but it is a "natural" occurrence.
Also Note: There wasn't a large number of competitors. Actually, it only included the six males I regularly observe but that…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2008tags: black-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
How Best to Scratch an Itch.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
Here's a Black-crowned Night Heron fledgling demonstrating how to best scratch an itch with what one has available. In this case it's a carefully retracted leg and sinewy foot.
grrlscientist | August 22, 2008
Adult plumage Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis, stands on a lamp on Roosevelt Island, overlooking the East River. Manhattan Island is in the background.
Image: GrrlScientist, 21 August 2008 [larger view].
I went on a little day trip to Roosevelt Island to look at birds and to learn a little about a company known as Verdant Power. Roosevelt Island (formerly Welfare Island, and before that, Blackwell's Island) is a small island that is roughly two miles long located in the middle of the East River, a tidal estuary that flows between Manhattan Island and the Borough of Queens.
Verdant…
grrlscientist | June 7, 2008tags: northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
Mama knows best.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
Remember my story about Mama and Papa Bank Rock: Behind the Green Mesh (see this website May 25, 2008, also see part 2 and part 3)? Well, apparently Mama is still convinced she is invisible as she continues to incubate her eggs. To date, with the exception of a few bird-watchers, she has gone undetected. When Mama Bank Rock got off the nest during my last visit I stood on tiptoe to get a look inside.…
grrlscientist | June 6, 2008tags: northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
Mama and Papa Bank Rock: Behind the Green Mesh.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
Finding the Bank Rock nest had been fully constructed was a satisfying discovery but I felt I still did not have the information I wanted. Without seeing either cardinal at the site I did not know if it was still active or if it had abandoned. I decided to continue my walk but come back later for another look. I returned forty minutes later. I stopped twenty feet away and…
grrlscientist | June 5, 2008tags: northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
Mama and Papa Bank Rock: Behind the Green Mesh.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
I returned to the park two days later. It was raining lightly but steadily so my camera was tucked inside its case. The light was poor for both photography and bird-watching but from about fifteen feet away I saw evidence that Mama Bank Rock had indeed returned to her nest. A gleaming white object was tucked behind the fence where the Northern Cardinal and I had last met.…
grrlscientist | June 3, 2008tags: raccoons, mammals, Procyon lotor,, Central Park, Image of the Day
Answer: it's the noses on two sleeping raccoons, of course.
Raccoon noses in a tree in Central Park, NYC.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
You might recall that Grrl Scientist posted a photo of a single raccoon schnoz poking out of this same hole last year. Notice, if you will, that of the two schnozs in this new image the one in the background appears to be larger than the one in the foreground. I suspect that the larger nose is attached to Mama Raccoon. After I took…
grrlscientist | May 27, 2008tags: turtles, turtle yoga, reptiles, Central Park, Image of the Day
Turtle Yoga Chaos!
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
Ah, how satisfying it was to find that a Central Park turtle rose, or at least lifted its head, to the occasion. Just when they needed it the most a Turtle Yoga master rose from the ranks to bring order out of chaos. Here we see the group under the tutelage of a natural educator artfully performing a cat stretch.
Doesn't this satisfy your need for a moment of Zen?
grrlscientist | May 26, 2008tags: turtles, turtle yoga, reptiles, Central Park, Image of the Day
Turtle Yoga Chaos!
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
This image captures a group of unfortunate Central Park turtles sorely in need of a yoga master. The chaos, as the Great Oz once said is," The result of disorganized thinking." Finding such a chaotic demonstration of yoga art shocked this observer who has grown used to watching turtles execute poses with precision and grace. Will a yoga master arise to lead the others and bring order to the class and the universe or at…
grrlscientist | May 25, 2008tags: northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
You do not have to be a photography expert to notice that the only thing in focus in this image is the green mesh in the foreground and even then you might have to enlarge it to see that it is so. To appreciate why I relish this photo a detailed explanation is necessary. Of course that might be said about many of my other images too but none more so than this one: at least so far.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes;
You will, I hope, recognize that there…
grrlscientist | May 19, 2008tags: raccoon, Procyon lotor, mammals, Central Park, Image of the Day
Raccoon, Procyon lotor kit (with mother)
in Central Park, NYC.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
This image appears here, courtesy of Bob Levy, who writes;
A Central Park Raccoon known to her admirers as Raquel has been thought to have recently given birth to cubs in her Locust Grove den. At least that is what the scant observable evidence suggested to this reporter. My conclusion turned out to be 100% accurate. Or should I say 200% accurate since I saw two cubs inside the den. Her lair may have a posh…